Adam Levitan

Last Minute Decisions

Week 14 Injury Questions

At long last, the playoffs are here. It’s time to get our best lineups out there and pray.

As we get set for Week 14, we’ll have our eyes on every game. The Rotoworld News Page will be humming all day long to bring you the latest on who is in and who is out. We’ve got rankings from Chris Wesseling/Mike Clay here and Evan Silva’s ridiculously mind-blowing Matchup Column here. Inside the Season Pass, you’ll find flex rankings and exact projections for every player.

If you want to draft a new team just for this week, check our SnapDraft. And if you don’t have it already, you need the Rotoworld App for your iPhone/iPad. Badly.

OK, let’s get to the hurt folks:

1PM GAMESRAVENS at REDSKINS* Ed Dickson (knee) remains out. As we saw last week, that doesn’t necessarily mean a boost for Dennis Pitta. * Pierre Garcon (foot) appears to have turned a corner with his injury. Get him going.

RAMS at BILLS* Danny Amendola (foot) is headed for a true game-time call. Even if he suits up, we can’t guarantee a full complement of snaps. And if he does end up active, it’s going to be harder to pull the trigger on Chris Givens. * Stevie Johnson (hamstring) is expected to play through a questionable tag as a WR3 candidate.

COWBOYS at BENGALS * DeMarco Murray’s foot came out of his 27-touch return feeling good. No injury concerns here. * A.J. Green got sick on Friday, but he’ll be fine for Sunday. * Cedric Peerman (ankle) won’t be available for backup duties. Brian Leonard will be the change-of-pace guy. * Jermaine Gresham (hamstring) gave owners a mid-week scare, but he earned a “probable” tag after participating in Friday’s practice. * Mike Nugent (calf) is out. Josh Brown will handle the Bengals’ kicking duties.

CARDINALS at SEAHAWKS* The Ryan Lindley experiment is over. John Skelton is back under center. * Andre Roberts (ankle) is a game-time call once again. Avoid. * Beanie Wells (knee) is fully expected to play through a questionable tag, but he’s a poor bet for production. * Sidney Rice (head) is ready to rock despite last week’s scary fall on his game-winning catch.

SAINTS at GIANTS* Hakeem Nicks just can’t get over the hump with his knee issues. He did get in a limited practice Friday and was spotted doing some post-practice work with Eli Manning. Good signs. Owners wishing to wait on Nicks can handcuff him with Reuben Randle, who appears to have passed Domenik Hixon for No. 3 wideout duties. * Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) rarely practices anymore, but it’s not a real concern. Expect another heavy workload since the Giants don’t trust David Wilson. * David Thomas (knee) is expected back to work in two-tight end sets. * Chris Ivory was a late addition to the injury report with a hamstring issue. His absence will mean a couple more touches for Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas.

MY TOUGHEST DECISION OF THE WEEKIn a 10-team non-PPR league, my tight end spot came down to Vernon Davis, Martellus Bennett, Marcedes Lewis, Greg Olsen or Tony Scheffler. The fact that all these guys are available (Davis and Olsen are on my roster, rest are free agents) speaks to how muddled the position has become. Projecting outlooks for tight ends 4-20 has become a total crapshoot.

So in a spot like this, I don’t think there is a “bad” choice. All have good matchups and upside. If we played these Week 14 games 10 times, I bet each of the five would end up with the most points at least once.

In the end, I decided to roll with Bennett. He’s healthy and Hakeem Nicks (knee) is banged up. The Giants vs. Saints game figures to be a shootout. In non-PPR, touchdowns count the most and Bennett is the most likely of this group to score one.

SURVIVOR PICK OF THE WEEKThis week, I think the most likely winner is the Seahawks. The Cardinals won’t be able to run on their front seven and we know John Skelton can’t beat them through the air. Seattle is 5-0 at home this year and that’s not a fluke.

I’d also be very comfortable using the Steelers with Ben Roethlisberger back or the Niners, who figure to be angry off another tough loss. If you’re looking to fade the chalk, the Browns are the play. At home, facing a Chiefs team that is primed for a major letdown off last week’s emotional win. Top defenders Brandon Flowers (hamstring) and Derrick Johnson (hamstring) are questionable.

At long last, the playoffs are here. It’s time to get our best lineups out there and pray.

As we get set for Week 14, we’ll have our eyes on every game. The Rotoworld News Page will be humming all day long to bring you the latest on who is in and who is out. We’ve got rankings from Chris Wesseling/Mike Clay here and Evan Silva’s ridiculously mind-blowing Matchup Column here. Inside the Season Pass, you’ll find flex rankings and exact projections for every player.

If you want to draft a new team just for this week, check our SnapDraft. And if you don’t have it already, you need the Rotoworld App for your iPhone/iPad. Badly.

OK, let’s get to the hurt folks:

1PM GAMESRAVENS at REDSKINS* Ed Dickson (knee) remains out. As we saw last week, that doesn’t necessarily mean a boost for Dennis Pitta. * Pierre Garcon (foot) appears to have turned a corner with his injury. Get him going.

RAMS at BILLS* Danny Amendola (foot) is headed for a true game-time call. Even if he suits up, we can’t guarantee a full complement of snaps. And if he does end up active, it’s going to be harder to pull the trigger on Chris Givens. * Stevie Johnson (hamstring) is expected to play through a questionable tag as a WR3 candidate.

COWBOYS at BENGALS * DeMarco Murray’s foot came out of his 27-touch return feeling good. No injury concerns here. * A.J. Green got sick on Friday, but he’ll be fine for Sunday. * Cedric Peerman (ankle) won’t be available for backup duties. Brian Leonard will be the change-of-pace guy. * Jermaine Gresham (hamstring) gave owners a mid-week scare, but he earned a “probable” tag after participating in Friday’s practice. * Mike Nugent (calf) is out. Josh Brown will handle the Bengals’ kicking duties.

CARDINALS at SEAHAWKS* The Ryan Lindley experiment is over. John Skelton is back under center. * Andre Roberts (ankle) is a game-time call once again. Avoid. * Beanie Wells (knee) is fully expected to play through a questionable tag, but he’s a poor bet for production. * Sidney Rice (head) is ready to rock despite last week’s scary fall on his game-winning catch.

SAINTS at GIANTS* Hakeem Nicks just can’t get over the hump with his knee issues. He did get in a limited practice Friday and was spotted doing some post-practice work with Eli Manning. Good signs. Owners wishing to wait on Nicks can handcuff him with Reuben Randle, who appears to have passed Domenik Hixon for No. 3 wideout duties. * Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) rarely practices anymore, but it’s not a real concern. Expect another heavy workload since the Giants don’t trust David Wilson. * David Thomas (knee) is expected back to work in two-tight end sets. * Chris Ivory was a late addition to the injury report with a hamstring issue. His absence will mean a couple more touches for Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas.

MY TOUGHEST DECISION OF THE WEEKIn a 10-team non-PPR league, my tight end spot came down to Vernon Davis, Martellus Bennett, Marcedes Lewis, Greg Olsen or Tony Scheffler. The fact that all these guys are available (Davis and Olsen are on my roster, rest are free agents) speaks to how muddled the position has become. Projecting outlooks for tight ends 4-20 has become a total crapshoot.

So in a spot like this, I don’t think there is a “bad” choice. All have good matchups and upside. If we played these Week 14 games 10 times, I bet each of the five would end up with the most points at least once.

In the end, I decided to roll with Bennett. He’s healthy and Hakeem Nicks (knee) is banged up. The Giants vs. Saints game figures to be a shootout. In non-PPR, touchdowns count the most and Bennett is the most likely of this group to score one.

SURVIVOR PICK OF THE WEEKThis week, I think the most likely winner is the Seahawks. The Cardinals won’t be able to run on their front seven and we know John Skelton can’t beat them through the air. Seattle is 5-0 at home this year and that’s not a fluke.

I’d also be very comfortable using the Steelers with Ben Roethlisberger back or the Niners, who figure to be angry off another tough loss. If you’re looking to fade the chalk, the Browns are the play. At home, facing a Chiefs team that is primed for a major letdown off last week’s emotional win. Top defenders Brandon Flowers (hamstring) and Derrick Johnson (hamstring) are questionable.

Adam Levitan is in his seventh season covering football and basketball for Rotoworld. He won the Fantasy Sports Writers Association award for Best Series in 2011 and 2009, and ESPN's overall fantasy football title in 2000. Find him on Twitter.Email :Adam Levitan